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No. 7 Southern California women’s basketball held on to beat No. 4 UConn 72-70, despite the Huskies’ incredible second half comeback. The Trojans picked up their first top-5 win of the season spearheaded by guard Juju Watkins 25 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Although the matchup wasn’t determined until the final moments as many expected, Southern Cal was in full control by the break. The Trojans were up 42-29 at halftime behind seven threes, and held an 18-point lead a minute into the third — not large enough for cruise control, but close to it.
For the Huskies, it was a recreation of their 11-point loss to Notre Dame on Dec. 12, getting outscored 39-28 in the first half.
UConn put to rest that notion in the third quarter, though, mounting a 10-0 run midway through the 10-minute period and outscoring USC 20-13 in the quarter.
By the fourth, the two teams were separated by just six points.
And the Huskies continued the run, snagging their first lead of the game with less than five minutes left following forward Sarah Strong’s right-handed layup over Watkins. The two women’s college basketball giants battled for leverage in the remaining minutes with neither team building a lead over three points.
With 19 seconds left and Southern Cal up 72-69, UConn had an opportunity to tie after Watkins fouled Strong’s three-point attempt that sent her to the line.
However, the freshman missed the second attempt, and although the Huskies were able to grab the rebound amongst the mosh pit of players that resulted in the ball ending up in Strong’s hands again, her last second hurl from the top of the key was no good.
USC TAKES DOWN NO. 4 UCONN IN THE FINAL SECONDS! pic.twitter.com/iqHvf75R2I
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 22, 2024
The road win checks off arguably the Trojans’ (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten) biggest game of the season, and notches Watkins’ fifth 25-plus points performance this year.
UConn (10-2, 1-0 Big East) falls to 0-2 against top-10 ranked opponents — each game they entered as the higher ranked team. Guard Paige Bueckers finished with 22 points, while Strong dropped 22 points and 13 rebounds.